How to Vegetable Garden in June

How to vegetable garden in June, the month in the vegetable garden when everything really seems to put a spurt on. While some quick maturing crops may give you little tasters you can only salivate about all the delicious vegetables to come later.

When working hard in the garden preparing the ground when the weather is still cold you may have second thought about what you have let yourself in for. However when the first vegetables are harvested not only is there the satisfaction of growing your own vegetables knowing they have not been drenched in chemicals but you will have vegetables that are fresher and tastier than you could ever buy from a supermarket.

No matter how long you have been gardening, it is always nice to be reminded of some of the vegetable garden tips that may have slipped your mind. We are all the same in this respect!

Here are some timely reminders, hints and tips for the vegetable garden in June.

Harvesting Early Peas

It depends very much on your location but you may have early peas ready for harvesting. The way to check is to gently press the pods to see if the peas in the pod have swollen enough for picking.

When you have stripped off all the pea pods do not pull out all the plant. Just cut off the tops leaving the roots in situ as they will fix nitrogen from the air into the ground.

Taller varieties, in fact most varieties of peas, will need some form of support. The traditional way is to use pea sticks, which is a posh name for bits of twig or prunings pushed into the ground alongside the rows for the peas to scramble up and over.

A more modern approach is to use plastic netting or wire netting but somehow it never looks as natural as twiggy sticks.

Maincrop peas can be sown in June.

Potatoes: Earlies and Maincrop

For those who have planted early potato tubers you may find that they are almost ready for harvesting.

A good guide as to whether potatoes are ready for the harvest is to look out for them coming into flower.

When lifting potatoes always start by inserting a fork a bit further away from the plant and move closer little by little. It is better to be careful and patient as there is nothing more frustrating than to find a couple of tubers skewered by you fork. Not after all your hard work!

Having harvested your early potatoes remember to keep a close check on your maincrop potatoes. Earth up your potatoes as required which should result in 5cm or 2 inch of potato shoot showing above the soil or compost in your container.

Planting potatoes through black plastic saves on earthing up but do carry out regular checks for slugs as the cool dark conditions created by the black plastic are ideal for them.

Planting Out Celeriac

Celeriac is an easy to grow vegetable that is also very versatile in the kitchen. Excellent is soups and stews, mashed into potato or just as a vegetable in its own right.

Plant out celeriac in June.

Plant Self Blanching Celery

Prepare your ground by digging in lots of organic matter. Plant self blanching celery in blocks with plastic strip around the edge to exclude light. This improves the pale colour and sweetens the blanched stems.

Growing Runner Beans and French Beans

Grow in containers if short of room or up supports in well prepared garden soil.

Sow French and runner beans directly into prepared beds outside.

French beans are best sown in traditional rows, 18in (45cm) apart, at 6-9in (15-22cm) spacing.

To prepare the plot dig in plenty of well rotted manure and / or organic matter.

To support fasten canes together to form a wigwam or alternatively try netting stretched over poles.

Bamboo canes are ideal as the plants can be planed inside the wigwam poles rather than outside which makes hoeing easier and lessens the risk of accidentally damaging the plants.

The Prolific Courgettes, Marrows and Pumpkins

You can still sow courgettes, marrows and pumpkins outdoors in early June.

It is always worth issuing a warning to keep a close check on courgettes. Forget to check for a few days and you may have to look up a recipe for using marrows!

Hand pollinating is a good way to encourage a good fruit set.

This is easy to do. Push the male flowers which you can identify by the lack of swollen stem or young fruit behind the petals lightly into the female flowers.

Summer Salad Crops

Regular supplies of salad are called for in warm summers.

Successional sowing of salad crops such as beetroot, Chinese cabbage, pak choi and radish will ensure an even supply over the summer season.

In hot weather, leafy salad crops may do better when sown in partially shady sites. Hot dry weather can lead to bitter tasting leaves.

More salad seed varieties are now on the market that can be picked as young cut and come again leaves. These include mizuna, purslane, spinach, beetroot and greek cress

In June harvest salad onions, salad leaves, beetroot and radishes as they mature.

Planting Tomatoes and Tomato Care

Plant out tomatoes if this has not already been done.

Pinch out the side shoots of tomatoes that are being grown as cordons, preferably before they get too big.

Start feeding as soon as the first fruit has set but do not give too high concentrate or you could cause a build up that will block other essential nutrients.

See Best Tomatoes – Growing Tips.

Cucumbers for the Summer Salads

Harvest cucumbers grown under glass regularly to encourage more fruit to set.

For a small family the superb smaller varieties are ideal for a single meal. A good example is Cucumber Green Fingers which is a mini cucumber that is early cropping and high yield.

Outdoor ridge cucumbers can be planted out in June.

It is best practice to enrich their bed with lots of organic matter to help retain water.

Pinch out the tip of the plant when it has made six pairs of leaves and this will encourage side shoot and cucumber formation.

Feed cucumbers at regular intervals with a liquid tomato feed.

Sowing Sweetcorn

Sweetcorn can be sown directly into prepared beds outside.

Plant Sweetcorn in blocks at 18in (45cm) spacing with two seeds per hole.

The strongest seedling can be selected if the slugs have not thinned out for you already.

Sweetcorn seeds sown earlier under cover can now be planted out into the same block pattern.

Brassica Growing and Varieties

Transplant summer and autumn cabbage varieties and Brussels sprouts sown during April.

Protect young brassica crops from pigeons by covering with nets.

Pigeons can decimated young Brassicas, what they don’t eat they will have trampled flat.

Keep a watch for the small holes flea beetles make on brassica seedlings. Water well to help them continue to grow despite the pest damage.

Pick yellowing leaves off Brassicas promptly to prevent the spread of grey mould and brassica downy mildew.

Protect Carrots

Use a fine woven plastic mesh to keep off carrot fly. They can smell your crop from miles away and home in. The good news is that they fly close to the ground so a barrier such as mesh or fleece keeps them at bay.

Make sure that the corners are well tucked in or buried to prevent them avoiding this defence.

Over Wintered Japanese Onions

Harvest over wintered Japanese onions once the tops start to fall over.

To enable the skins to harden and the bulbs to store better leave the bulbs to dry in a sunny spot outside or in an airy shed if rain is forecast. .

Sow Turnips

You can still sow turnips in June for an autumn crop.

Sow turnip seed in drills 6in (15cm) apart and thin them as soon as they are large enough to handle leaving one plant every 4in (10cm).

Turnips are better lifted while still young and sweet.

Plant Out Artichokes

June is the month to plant out artichokes that have been sown indoors.

Tall and handsome plants they can be steamed. Unopened flower buds are considered a delicacy.

Grow artichokes perennials with 90cm spacing or as biennials in which case 45cm spacing is sufficient.

Herbs

Extend the season of herb crops such as basil, coriander and parsley with successional sowings.

Growing Broad Beans

Broad beans can be sown directly into prepared beds outside.

Pinch out young and soft tops when large enough to handle to discourage black fly.

Asparagus

Asparagus is a perennial vegetable that is easy to prepare by steaming and serving with butter or hollandaise sauce.

When cut if the end of the spear seems a little woody, beginning at the “ground end” tap a sharp kitchen knife at short intervals along the spear until the knife goes in and cuts the asparagus.

Harvest spears from established asparagus plants for six to eight weeks from May into the early summer.

Tempting though it may be, do not harvest spears from crowns less than two years old as this will weaken the young plant and reduce the cropping potential in future years.

After harvesting and flowering feed the asparagus so that they have sufficient energy for next season.

Cut the feathery foliage to add interest to a vase of flowers.

Peppers

Peppers grown under glass should only be planted out when all risk of frost has passed.

Catch Crops

Sow quick maturing crops such as radish and lettuce to make the best use of space where early vegetables have been picked or lifted and before a later maturing crop is planted.

Weed Control

Control weeds to prevent them competing for moisture and nutrients with your vegetable plants.

Hoe regularly between rows on hot days to make sure the weeds dry up and die.

Weed killer is usually not a good idea as there is a high risk of it killing or damaging your crops as well as killing the weeds, an unexpected breeze is all it requires when you press the button on the spray.

Slug Control

June is a great time for slugs in he garden and the vegetable garden provides them with a superb larder of fresh greens.

See also:

How to Vegetable Garden in May

How to Vegetable Garden in July

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